Dougla-Prieta Trabaja (Dougla-Prieta Works) Women's Cooperative

~Written by Tonya

As we rode through the streets of Agua Prieta, I was trying to take pictures through the van windows. I wanted to capture the strange blend of poverty and vibrant art that I was seeing: broken down fences adorned with animals that someone had fashioned from castoff metal, dilapidated houses decorated with brightly colored paint, dusty and garbage-strewn yards with a garden or two struggling to grow. When we arrived at the Agua-Prieta, this strange blending of poverty and beauty only intensified. We drove down a deeply rutted dirt road, parked, and entered through an opening in a rusty fence.

As we approached an adobe block building, we were greeted by several smiling women of varying ages. Only one, Miriam, spoke English; she was our guide and translator. She introduced the other women, beckoning each of them from the kitchen and asking them to speak to us. Each one spoke in Spanish, telling what their duties were and what the cooperative meant to them. For one, it meant fresh vegetables and eggs for her family. For another, it meant a chance to help her whole community. For yet another, it meant that she could feed her Agua Prieta family as well as taking food, clothing, and shoes to her home village. That day, six women cooked for us and served us, happy to offer hospitality and proud to show us the good work they're doing. At least 20 other women are involved with Dougla-Prieta Works, helping to feed their families, learn new skills, and spread the news to others.

After a delicious lunch made from vegetables and greens grown in the co-op's garden, we got to look around the sustainable gardens, chicken coops, water tanks, green house, and rabbit hutch. Our guide, who turned out to be the wife of Mark from Frontera de Cristo, explained to us how she has been learning about sustainable gardens and sharing her knowledge with the other women. One thing that we were truly impressed with-and the women were quite proud of-was the building where we had eaten. They had built it themselves; they'd even made the bricks using local soil and a traditional method of drying.

Even the chicken coop is adorned with creativity! And the gardens have a beautiful symmetry! After we had walked around the gardens, we were offered the chance to buy some of the needlecraft items that the women had created. There were delicately crocheted scarves, vibrant bags and aprons, and their embroidered tortilla cloths(traditionally sewn by women for their men to carry tortillas) were works of art. We all bought as many of their beautiful pieces as we could afford and carry, almost wiping out their inventory. When we were gathering up to leave, we saw some children in school uniforms arriving. We were told that Dougla-Prieta Works is also home to English language classes, taught by volunteers from Frontera de Cristo.

At this point, I began to see the inter-woven connections within these two communities, Douglas, AZ and Agua Prieta, Sonora. Several groups work together to bring change to this part of the borderlands: Borderlinks delegations buy coffee from Cafe Justo which donates coffee bean shells to be used for compost and mulch at the sustainable garden; women from Agua-Prieta sell their crafts to people on Borderlinks delegations; the Presbyterian church supports Frontera de Cristo which, in turn, helps Cafe Justo and Dougla-Prieta Works, Joca from Frontera de Cristo works with the migrant shelter and community center in Agua Prieta; Cafe Justo is opening an eat-in cafe to help the youth; volunteers from Frontera de Cristo teach English classes to the children of Agua Prieta, using the building that was built by the women of Dougla-Prieta Works...and the connections go on and on. And, none of the groups are practicing solely charity...they are living examples of solidarity as they work together with- and speak out on behalf of -their brothers and sisters whose voices are too faint to be heard. THIS is what hope looks like when it is embodied by people of faith!